Tom Morales is leading the group leasing the old Acme Feed building on Broadway. His career began catering for film productions. / File / The Tennessean

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Nashville restaurateur Tom Morales saw his career begin to skyrocket when his risk of starting a catering company in a secondhand mobile kitchen paid off.

His catering company, TomKats, has grown exponentially in the ensuing 25 years and served as the food service provider for some of Hollywood’s most successful film productions.

Since then, Morales also has invested in and launched a slate of successful restaurants such as Loveless Cafe, Sapphire and Southern Steak & Oyster.

His new project, the Acme, will come online on Broadway later this year. Because he’s worked around the entertainment industry, Morales said, he finds inspiration from a variety of art forms. He spoke with The Tennessean’s Nate Rau about his own taste in music and films.

1. Is there any art form that inspires you?

I think music and food really serve the same master. They’re both creative and they’re both emotional, and some of your best work goes unrecorded. You make something with a touch of this, a touch of that and say, “That’s great, how’d I do that?”

I’ve seen some guitar players in the middle of the night hit a great lick and go, “How’d I do that?” But it’s not recorded or anything.

2. Are there any local bands or artists you especially like?

I’m a pretty big fan of everybody. I’ve been a Donna the Buffalo fan from the days when the herd followed them around. But Mike Farris from here in town is another one. I’m just a fan of all types of music.

3. What about television shows — any you watch regularly?

Well, we’ve been working on “The Walking Dead,” so I’m a big zombie fan. And we’re working on a new AMC miniseries called “Turn.” It’s a story about George Washington starting the first spy agency. That’s in Richmond, Va., so I’m really excited to see how that turns out because it’s based on reality.